Bihar: ‘If we resume dialogue, why received’t they arrive again?’

Newly anointed Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee president Rajesh Kumar was mobbed by get together employees when he arrived at Sadaquat Ashram in Patna on 22 March to imagine workplace.

His appointment is seen as a bid to reclaim the get together’s standing in Bihar, significantly amongst marginalised communities, even whereas navigating a fragile relationship with alliance companion RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal) forward of state meeting elections.

As he waited for the outgoing president to reach on the get together workplace and hand over cost, and even amidst the incessant cellphone calls and guests, the unassuming two-time MLA took day without work to talk to Vishwadeepak. excerpts from a disarming dialog:

You’ve been appointed the Bihar Congress chief simply forward of elections, though the outgoing BPCC chief nonetheless had time left in his time period. What’s the technique?

Look, the Congress is a democratic get together with a structure. There are guidelines laid out for presidents and everybody else. However the get together excessive command has the authority to take [overriding] selections within the get together’s curiosity, when wanted; the massive leaders come collectively to take such calls.

Up to now eight years, the Bihar Congress has had three presidents, nevertheless it has not been capable of even arrange district-level committees since 2017…

Give it a while; simply wait and watch.

Reviving the get together in Bihar—which tends to have a ripple impact on nationwide politics—is a giant problem. How do you intend to do it?

My political coaching started means again in 1981, after I used to hold round my late father Dilkeshwar Ram and his political associates. In these days, no home employees had been accessible; children ran errands and did the tea and water rounds. I’ve 35-odd years of hands-on organisational expertise. You’ll see a mixture of expertise and youthful power within the days forward, as I imagine the get together’s senior management envisages.

You’ve given the get together a few years in fact, however did you think about you’d be entrusted with such a giant accountability? Was it a shock?

(Will get teary) It’s an emotional second for me.

Now that you simply’ve taken cost, what might be your high precedence?

My precedence is to take everybody alongside—each employees and leaders—and transfer ahead as a staff. The appointment order got here at 11:30 p.m. I used to be in Delhi. However I started working immediately, began assembly folks. Everybody I spoke to reassured me, saying, “We labored along with your father, and also you’ll have our assist too.” Loads of current-day senior leaders had been my father’s colleagues within the get together organisation and/ or authorities. I’ve private ties with every certainly one of them.

You’re in alliance with the RJD, and in Bihar, the RJD will see itself because the Huge Brother. Do you see this as a problem?

That’s totally for the central management to determine; they are going to take that decision.

You come from the Dalit group. Many imagine the Congress is making an attempt to win again its previous vote financial institution— Dalits, higher castes and Muslims. how will you reconnect with voters who drifted away?

I’d submit the normal Congress voters by no means abandoned us. Sure, our maintain and join did weaken, however the get together used to ballot 36 per cent votes for a superb purpose. We’ll examine issues on the bottom. We’ll attempt to perceive what every part of society goes by, and tailor our outreach to their issues, wants and calls for. Once we begin speaking to folks about their actual points, after we resume that dialogue, why received’t they arrive again? You’ll do not forget that it was the Congress that instituted the Sachar Committee for minorities. They’ll all come on board; we’ll carry them again.

In its heyday, the get together used to have a powerful rural base, which it appears to have misplaced nearly totally. How will you reclaim the villages, the hinterland?

Look, I primarily stay within the village—and if I stay within the village, the get together does too. We’ve already launched a marketing campaign—the ‘Palayan Roko, Naukri Do’ yatra (Cease the migration, give jobs), which ought to provide you with a way of how we’ll go about it.

Everybody is aware of caste is a giant concern in Bihar. Rahul Gandhi typically talks a few caste census, however he was crucial of the survey achieved in Bihar. Is the get together employee confused? how will you progress ahead on this concern?

We supported Nitishji on this concern, nevertheless it all comes all the way down to intent. What’s the purpose of simply conducting a census? The Bihar caste survey doesn’t actually mirror social realities. That’s why Rahulji criticised it—the strategy was flawed. Then there may be the query of sincere implementation. The Nitish Kumar authorities elevated quotas to 65 per cent however the Patna Excessive Courtroom disallowed it as a result of he didn’t comply with the required constitutional procedures to again it up. So, sure, the Bihar caste survey is a sham.

How will you differentiate Bihar Congress from the BJP or NDA?

There’s a very crucial distinction: we discuss public curiosity, the reality, communal concord. The BJP talks about hate and company pursuits; they topple elected governments and snatch mandates. We’ll defeat them with our work.